‫معتمدة‬

Critique process

Under supervision
Prof. Dr. Marwa Mostafa Ragheb

Professor of Medical Surgical Nursing

Dean of Benha faculty of nursing

Prepared by
Shaimaa Elsayed Hosny
Wesal Ali
Fawzy Mohammed
Gelan Abdel Rahman

1st Part Doctorate Degree

1
Objectives:

After completion of this lecture, the student will be able to:

Define critique process.

Identify aspects of research critique.

Recognize phases of research critique process.

Determine guidelines for conducting research critique.

Define peer review process.

Determine types of peer review.

Recognize steps of peer review process.

Outlines:

Introduction.

Definition of critique process.

Aspects of research critique.

Phases of research critique process.

Guidelines for conducting research critique.

Peer review process.

Types of peer review.

Steps of peer review process.

References.

2
Introduction:

Research critique is an analysis of a research that focuses on its

strengths and limitations. Critique is associated with critical thinking and

evaluation; tasks requiring carefully developed intellectual skills.

Professionals often need to be able to identify best current practice, and

the ability to evaluate and use published research is critical in achieving

this. Therefore, it is a skill required in many position descriptions.

Definition of critique process:

Critique process is a systematic process of objectively evaluating research

studies and the results reported to highlight both its strengths &

weaknesses, and its applicability to practice.

Aspects of research critique:

There are four key aspects of research critique as follows:

1-Understanding the problem and the purpose, while determining if the

design and methodology are consistent with the purpose.

2-Determining if the methodology is properly applied.

3-Assessing if outcomes and conclusions are believable and supported by

findings.
3
4-Reflecting on overall quality, strengths & limitations and whether the

research contributes to the knowledge base and offers suggestion for

improvements.

Phases of research critique process:

There are phases to be followed for conducting a research critique

process as follows:

1-Comprehension:

Comprehension means the ability to grasp the meaning of material by

interpreting it. It is the first phase of research critique process. First the

reviewer will read the research carefully, identify terms he/she does not

understand and determine their meaning in a dictionary. Also, the

reviewer highlights difficult and important aspects in each step of the

research process.

2-Comparison:

In this phase the reviewer will compare the research, which he/she is

critiquing, with an ideal research and examine the extent to which the

researcher followed the rules for an ideal study. The real is compared

with the ideal. This requires knowledge of what each step of the research

process should be like.

4
3-Analysis:

Analysis is systematic examination of data or information, by breaking

it into its components to uncover their interrelationships. In the phase of

analysis, the reviewer will observe whether the study is significant, gave

proper results, shows logical links connecting one study element with

another.

4-Evaluation:

When evaluating a research, attention should be paid to the identity of

the researcher and to the publisher. A good starting point for evaluating a

research is the amount of citations it has received. In addition, the

reviewer should evaluate the objectivity of the text and the references

used. The steps and findings of the present study are evaluated in light of

the previous studies. Evaluation it built on conclusions reached during the

previous phases of the critique process.

Guidelines for conducting research critique:

Clear guidelines and framework for research critique should be

followed.

Research critique should involve thorough examination of all parts of a

research and making an initial evaluation report .Then, each part of the

research should be subjected to an in-depth evaluation.

5
 The research critique checklist is helpful for the evaluation of each

element in a systematic, structured way and it helps to determine

presence or absence of necessary elements and good to poor elements.

Comments about the various parts of the research should be written

down as the reviewer evaluates the research.

Provide specific examples of the strengths and weaknesses of the

research. Examples provide evidence for critique of the strengths and

weaknesses of the research.

Provide rationales for critique. This strengthens the quality of the

critique and proves the use of critical thinking skills.

Suggest modifications for improvement of the current research and for

future researches. Modifications in future researches will increase the

strengths and decrease the weaknesses identified in them.

Peer review process:

Peer review process is a system used to assess the quality of a research

before it is published. It is an integral part of scientific publishing that

confirms the validity of the research. Peer reviewers are experts who

volunteer their time to help improve the researches they review.

6
Types of peer review:

Different journals use different types of peer review. There are four main

types of peer review:

1-Double-blind peer review:

The reviewers do not know the name of the author, and the author does

not know who reviewed his/her research.

2-Single-blind peer review:

The reviewers know the name of the author, but the author does not know

who reviewed his/her research unless the reviewers choose to sign their

report.

3-Transparent peer review:

The reviewers know the name of the author, but the author does not know

who reviewed his/her research unless the reviewers choose to sign their

report. If the research is accepted, the anonymous reviewers' report is

published alongside the research and the author’s response to the

reviewers.

7
4-Open peer review:

The reviewers know who the author is and the author knows who the

reviewers are. If the research is accepted, the named reviewers' report is

published alongside the research and the author’s response to the

reviewers.

Steps of peer review process:

Peer review process has the following steps:

1-Submission of a research to the journal.

2-Journal editors assess the submitted research to see if it meets the

criteria for submission.

3-If it does not meet the criteria for submission, it is rejected.

4-If it meets the criteria for submission, the editorial team will select peer

reviewers within the field of research to peer-review the research.

5-The reviewers write a report about the research; its validity, its

strengths & weaknesses and its potential contribution to the profession.

6-The reviewers make recommendations; whether it should be published

or requires further work.

7-Journal editors assess the reviewers’ report, then accept and publish the

research or notify the researcher with reviewers report to make needed

modifications.

8
8-If the research needs modifications, the author first will adjust his/her

research based on the reviewers’ report, then resubmit to the same or a

different journal for publishing and the research will go through the same

review process again.

9
References:

Boswel, C. & Cannon, S. (2020): Introduction to nursing research

incorporating an evidence–based practice, 5ed, USA, chapter 14,

P.300-323.

Alesbury, E. (2019): The Peer Review Process: What to Expect,

PAEA, Retrieved from https://paeaonline.org/resources/public-

resources/paea-news/the-peer-review-process-what-to-expect,

Accessed on 19 Nov. 2022.

Coughlan, M., Cronin, P. and Ryan, F. (2007): Step by-step

guide to critiquing research, British Journal of Nursing, 16, P. 658-

663, Accessed on 18 Nov. 2022.

10